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Track Car Project TTQS or Edition 30

11K views 87 replies 16 participants last post by  Madmax199  
#1 ·
Decisions decisions

Never had a TT before but would only realistically buy a QS for they are rare and more track focused.

I have a lovely 2 litre 16V Golf which I've owned since 1995 which is my track car. This is tuned to just over 200bhp and has 'everything' done to it from that era although I have still kept the OE look.
It was built by Tim Stiles and runs Schrick cams a balanced 9a block 4.25 FD Quaiffe and Dave Crissel polished head. Slick 50 Kjet set up to compliment the split duration cams.It's a great car which I will hand on to my son.

I have recently bought a low mileage 3 door ED30 with DSG and it's boggo standard. I have owned 2 ED30's previously and know what to do with these and their potential but as usual it's thousands of pounds worth of bits to get to a nice road and track weapon. Time you go APR Stage 2 + put some KW Clubsports on with anti lift together with a diff big brakes Intercooler and stick rubber and wheels you're up to ÂŁ8k+...ooch!!

Before I bought the car I did try a QS and this although standard was a lovely thing to drive but unfortunately I had placed a deposit on the ED30.

Hence I am thinking of selling the ED30 and buying a TTQS and taking a trip up to APS and speak to Ed and Nathan and perhaps run one for track and put some decent rubber and brakes. I don't know how the QS maps....I assume it's like the 225 and you can get to approx 265bhp??

The OE seemed pretty good but again I didn't drive it in anger but turn in impressed me.

Any thoughts or experience with the QS as a proper track car??
 
#2 ·
The QS is the same as the 225 TT apart from some minor mods (and a price hike!) I'm not an expert on the QS but do race a TT.

Less weight via removal of counter balance (and aircon?)
battery relocated to rear
Remap to 240bhp
Optional bucket seats?

You will still need to uprate suspension and steering(cookbots) to dial out understeer, add bigger brakes, remove a lot a weight and then mod the engine/turbo/exhaust

BW
 
#3 ·
As BW said, if you're planning on a car solely for the track, get a 225, save yourself ÂŁ4k and spend this extra cash on the suspension and brakes to get it much better than a QS in terms of handling!

Then strip it out as the TT's major enemy, including the QS, is weight!!!

QS purists will probably agree too, as they wont want to see a limited edition QS being molested and driven around a track :lol: (Although this may put the value of their own up slightly!)
 
#4 ·
Interesting question :)

I've not got experience of driving either a ed30 or QS(!), but if I had to choose I would think the newer tfsi engine ed30 would be a stronger engine than the QS, which should mean a more reliable track day engine.

However the QS should be lighter and the 4wd much better at getting on the power early out of bends.

Price wise a good QS would be similar price to a Ed30, so for me it would be down to which will be the most fun on track, so for me that would be a light weight good handling QS, rather than big powered heavier ed30.

Ultimately if you find a QS with a broken engine, I bet a TFSI engine swap would be awesome :D

(Nice spec Golf btw, I've also got a Dave Crissel head in mine :wink: )
 
#5 ·
NickG said:
As BW said, if you're planning on a car solely for the track, get a 225, save yourself ÂŁ4k and spend this extra cash on the suspension and brakes to get it much better than a QS in terms of handling!

Then strip it out as the TT's major enemy, including the QS, is weight!!!

QS purists will probably agree too, as they wont want to see a limited edition QS being molested and driven around a track :lol: (Although this may put the value of their own up slightly!)
You guys and your weight reduction lately :lol:

I think I've shredded off roughly 250lbs off my car so far. Or for you guys around 110kg. Removing the spare helps, and I haven't even removed the counter weight yet lol.
Good link for easy weight saving: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.p ... T-s-weight
 
#9 ·
NickG said:
Unless I'm missing something, removing bits costs no money?!

You can make money on selling the bits though!!!

And the OP is asking about a "Track Car Project"... Track cars will de-value once you start tinkering, that's a fact.
Which is why buying a well spec'd track car that someone else has spent their own money on rather than your own is a good idea! :D
 
#13 ·
NickG said:
Unless I'm missing something, removing bits costs no money?!

You can make money on selling the bits though!!!

And the OP is asking about a "Track Car Project"... Track cars will de-value once you start tinkering, that's a fact.
Well that's not the half of weight reduction I'm referring to. :wink:

Removing heavy oem seats = buying new racing seats which are at a bare minimum $600 (off brands)
Removing heavy oem side skirts = buying pricey new ones (reigers which are the lightest I believe are super expensive)
Removing heavy oem wheels for aftermarket = yeah we all know this all too well :lol:

list goes on and on. Yeah you can recoup some money back with selling old parts, but if you get into the deep waters of weight reduction you will have to upgrade to aftermarket parts (carbon fibre hatch/bonnet as well for example) which can be ridiculously pricey.
 
#14 ·
Maybe so, but I was referring to the 100kg-150kg of free weight reduction you can get.

For a track car, I'd expect to see new seats anyway, heated leather recliners aren't very supportive for the track!! That's gives an easy 200kg of weight saved, without doing anything drastic.

Or you can spend ÂŁ800 on a BBK, ÂŁ1500 on engine mods and ÂŁ1500 on suspension mods and carry all the free weight around :roll:
 
#15 ·
Gonzalo1495 said:
NickG said:
As BW said, if you're planning on a car solely for the track, get a 225, save yourself ÂŁ4k and spend this extra cash on the suspension and brakes to get it much better than a QS in terms of handling!

Then strip it out as the TT's major enemy, including the QS, is weight!!!

QS purists will probably agree too, as they wont want to see a limited edition QS being molested and driven around a track :lol: (Although this may put the value of their own up slightly!)
You guys and your weight reduction lately :lol:

I think I've shredded off roughly 250lbs off my car so far. Or for you guys around 110kg. Removing the spare helps, and I haven't even removed the counter weight yet lol.
Good link for easy weight saving: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.p ... T-s-weight
I'm at 1240kg with a/c, but that's staying.

My mate Stephen on the other forum has a 964 which he is working on. Target weight for that is 964kg. He's an ex Ferrari F1 composites design engineer so there's a lot of CF in his future. If he'd not gutted it, it would be worth ÂŁ35 grand now so he's clearly way past worrying about the things value :?

VT
 
#16 ·
I don't understand this thread.

The OP is asking a question about a track car.
Any half decent track car will have buckets, harnesses, cage, coils, wheels, tyres.
QS was a car to kick a bit of interest back into an aging marque.

If you want to make a track TT, first find a car that has the engine/drive config that you fancy playing with (because that's all we are doing at the end of the day - playing) so 1.8T FWD, Quattro or V6, and find one that has as few miles on and best history you can afford.
Then do it in this order, wheels and brakes, coilovers, mild weight saving (stereo, a/c, carpets, trim), seats with harnesses + either harness bar or cage. Further weight saving depends on installed safety devices. Then power.
 
#18 ·
NickG said:
Maybe so, but I was referring to the 100kg-150kg of free weight reduction you can get.

For a track car, I'd expect to see new seats anyway, heated leather recliners aren't very supportive for the track!! That's gives an easy 200kg of weight saved, without doing anything drastic.

Or you can spend ÂŁ800 on a BBK, ÂŁ1500 on engine mods and ÂŁ1500 on suspension mods and carry all the free weight around :roll:
Yeah I agreed with you on that bro lol. That's why I've done most of that as well.

Yeah definitely, I'm just saying in the long it can get very costly is all. And soon it becomes a downward spiral. :p
 
#19 ·
KarlD said:
I don't understand this thread.

The OP is asking a question about a track car.
Any half decent track car will have buckets, harnesses, cage, coils, wheels, tyres.
QS was a car to kick a bit of interest back into an aging marque.

If you want to make a track TT, first find a car that has the engine/drive config that you fancy playing with (because that's all we are doing at the end of the day - playing) so 1.8T FWD, Quattro or V6, and find one that has as few miles on and best history you can afford.
Then do it in this order, wheels and brakes, coilovers, mild weight saving (stereo, a/c, carpets, trim), seats with harnesses + either harness bar or cage. Further weight saving depends on installed safety devices. Then power.
Interesting replies.

Only reasons for the QS was it already has some weight out it and it was only going to be a light track build as I wouldn't want to rip it apart to the point of no carpets dash etc. I wanted a quick road and track weapon and I suppose the ultimate track car's don't fit the road use criteria. Hence a well sorted FWD ED30.

I ran one before and got to 370bhp ran big brakes Quaiffe KW Clubsports anti lift and track rubber. It was quick but it was a manual car so I'm not sure if DSG can handle serious track abuse.

Until reading VT's thread and the amount of weight they carry and the pesky Haldex woes it puts me off somewhat.

I am sure I would upset TT purists playing and ripping apart a QS hence the normal 225 car would be an ideal place to start.
 
#20 ·
I've been thinking about this.

Buy the QSTT. I don't see why you wouldn't if you can afford to. They're not worth THAT much in the grand scheme of things and you'd feel pretty smug having one lol. It's hardly lightweight at 1379kg, but it's not slow and there is of course plenty of power left in that engine.

All you would really need to make a decent sorted road car that'll hold its own on the track would be a decent set of coilovers, adjustable tie bars and drop links (properly set up, not just dropped on its arse), good rubber and a decent brake pad compound. Lightweight alloys would further improve things. Full stainless system - because it would be rude not too.

Alloy flywheel and performance clutch...

The stock seats are Recaro Poles I believe. If you wanted to you could run harnesses with these without issues. However, you would need a proper harnesses bar as a minimum, as that cargo bar is not strong enough for harnesses to run to. You NEED to use a harness bar with those seats as they do not have reinforced backs. VT has a sexy harness bar. Other than that, bolt in rear cage. Both of these options would require a little bit of trim cutting, but done well this can look pretty swanky.

You could remove the OEM belts and fit 4 point harnesses with a quick release push button buckle and these would be 100% road legal. However I would strongly recommend that you get a set with the ASM system.

I think it would be a cool project. Certainly having a nice base car will keep you focused on fitting only quality parts with will only add to the perceived value of the thing.
 
#24 ·
Rich196 said:
Or just buy something rwd ;)
Glad someone else said what I was thinking. I know track days aren't free-for-all-drift-sessions, but I'm always a touch confused by any track project which is AWD or FWD. Not saying that anybody wouldn't have fun, it's just not where I'd think to start from as RWD should always ultimately be more fun. Unless the track days are run on gravel or snow. I guess YMMV on that outlook though.

I'd use a standard 225 by the way, FWIW. The QS mods make them a lovely road car, but it's really just touchy feely stuff and I suspect you could go way beyond that without having made the extra initial outlay.
 
#25 ·
Well, you look at the CSCC that I went to watch a few weeks back, most series dominated by RWD, and it has to be said, M3's for the majority.

But then you look at Time Attack and the top is dominated by AWD Evo's and Scoobs.

Then there is the BTCC with Type-r's and MG's both FWD.

I guess it's about how well you can get the power down!

Either way, the biggest factor will be the driver... None of us are Hamilton,or Plato, so learn to drive properly and you'll become faster in what ever you drive.
 
#26 ·
Thistlebeeace said:
Glad someone else said what I was thinking. I know track days aren't free-for-all-drift-sessions, but I'm always a touch confused by any track project which is AWD or FWD. Not saying that anybody wouldn't have fun, it's just not where I'd think to start from as RWD should always ultimately be more fun. Unless the track days are run on gravel or snow. I guess YMMV on that outlook though.
I am confused by this idea that RWD is somehow "more fun" or superior to AWD on a track. Have we forgotten that Audi made a name for themselves in the racing world in the late 80's by destroying the RWD status quo? So much so that they got banned from many open racing series in the 90's for having an "unfair" advantage.

The problem IMO, with the way you guys compare AWD vs RWD or FWD in forums, seems that racing and tracking is blended by the collective into one concept. Tracking is meant to have fun with whatever you have, so fun is often preferred over all out time. Racing on the other hand is all about putting the fastest possible time on the clock every lap, this exercise could care less about if there is any fun into setting said fast lap time. It's more about whatever it takes within the ruleset with racing and race cars. When looking at going fast at the track a few main things are usually put on the table:

1) Power/weight ratio
2) Tire (or traction)/weight ratio
3) Dowforce/speed ratio

With number two on that list, AWD always has a big advantage over the other layouts (RWD and FWD). If all else is equal, an AWD machine is far superior than a RWD one any day and in any conditions. That is also why most open classes have weight equalizers to allow FWD and RWD cars to have a chance with their AWD counterparts. So, to put an end to this nonsensical idea that RWD is better on track than AWD, it is NOT. More fun maybe, but that's not the point in racing.

Watch this awesome video about Audi, and the debue of AWD in racing.

NickG said:
Well, you look at the CSCC that I went to watch a few weeks back, most series dominated by RWD, and it has to be said, M3's for the majority.

But then you look at Time Attack and the top is dominated by AWD Evo's and Scoobs.

Then there is the BTCC with Type-r's and MG's both FWD.

I guess it's about how well you can get the power down!

Either way, the biggest factor will be the driver... None of us are Hamilton,or Plato, so learn to drive properly and you'll become faster in what ever you drive.
Series are always dominated by cars that can make the most out of the specific ruleset for the duration of the race. Time attack is about building the badest/fastest car to turn a lap, so AWD naturally always dominate the open class. Can't escape physics... :D